Drawing Magic: Animation Hints From Disney Greats

For animation buffs, the words 'Nine Old Men' are music to their ears. This moniker refers to the original group of Disney animators who helped to create some of the very first feature length animated films; they remained with the studio right up until the 1980s. Two of the old men, Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas, delighted in mentoring younger animators; when they retired, they publicly released their list of animation principles. Here's a breakdown of four of them.

Squash and Stretch

The first principle is commonly known as "Squash and Stretch." When animating a figure in motion, it's important to give the figure the appearance of having concrete weight; squashing something horizontally or stretching it vertically gives the illusion of redistribution of that volume. In a simple animation of a bouncing ball, it makes the motion appear more dynamic; subtle uses of squash and stretch are vital for realistic constructions, making them seem more life-like. But it's always important to keep the volume of the object consistent; if a ball stretches out when hitting the floor, it must also squash down correspondingly.

Anticipation

One of the most incredible aspects of the human mind is its ability to see and interpret tiny visual cues and movements subconsciously. It's something that we rarely notice until it's gone; even if the particular issue can't be identified, we know something is off. This includes things like a basketball player bending his knees before a jump, or a character looking towards the object they're about to interact with. The principle of anticipation comes in at this point: animators must remember to include these anticipatory movements when working on their characters, as it helps to make everything seem more realistic. Of course, anticipation can be omitted without warning for a comedic surprise gag.

Staging

The principle of staging is just as important in animation as it is in live-action films. Animators appropriate the visual language that we have become used to due to traditional film work, and although they use no camera, they still create convincing narratives. Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas emphasized that staging must be used to present an idea in an unmistakably clear way, and define what is important in the scene and should be focused on. This means more than just placing the characters inside the frame; animators can work with light and shadow, with angles of the "camera", and adjust movements in order to convey what's important.

Straight Ahead Action vs Pose to Pose

If you've never animated a sequence in your life, how would you go about doing it? Perhaps start with the first drawing, and then move sequentially frame by frame? Or would you instead draw out the big and important parts, and fill in the rest later?

Both techniques have drawbacks, but they're both extremely useful. Drawing a sequence start to finish, or 'Straight Ahead Action', results in a very fluid illusion of movement, but it's tough to maintain the right proportions of the characters. Sketching out the desired high points of a scene and then filling in the rest solves the proportional problem, and is better for dramatic scenes. Animators usually use a combination of the two.

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Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Drawing-Magic--Animation-Hints-From-Disney-Greats/4068933

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